There will be a Game 3 in the 2026 College World Series Finals. In a contest it had to win to keep its season alive, No. 5 North Carolina delivered a clutch effort both on the mound and at the plate and defeated Oklahoma, 6-2, on Sunday. The Tar Heels and Sooners will play for the college baseball national championship Monday at 7 p.m. ET.North Carolina’s back was against the wall. After dropping Game 1 of the championship series, it fell into an early hole on what would have been a title-clinching day for Oklahoma. An RBI double from Jaxon Willits capped off a two-run first inning for the Sooners, who had won each of their last seven games when scoring first.That trend reached its conclusion when the Tar Heels rattled off six unanswered runs.The power bats were out for the No. 5 national seed, which received a two-RBI triple from Jake Schaffner, a leadoff home run off the stick of Owen Hull and a two-run home run via Cooper Nicholson. Schaffner scored on a wild pitch after his three-bagger.
One of the keys for North Carolina was to get as many innings out of starting pitcher Ryan Lynch as possible. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, though, he motioned to the training staff two pitches into the fifth inning and left with an apparent injury after retiring 11 of the final 13 batters he faced. Coach Scott Forbes called upon All-American reliever Caden Glauber, who picked up where Lynch left off in making Sunday a quiet one at the plate for the scorching Oklahoma offense.With his victory, North Carolina improved to 30-0 in games where Glauber pitched. He would have been a candidate to start Monday’s season finale or, at the very least, eat innings out of the bullpen. Instead, he served the role of campaign-extender and set the table for a winner-take-all title bout to close out the CWS.
2026 College World Series: North Carolina vs. Oklahoma tale of the tape, CWS Finals picks, predictions
Carter Bahns
Something has to give in Game 3 between two teams that are difficult to beat twice. The Tar Heels have not lost a series since early March, and the last time the Sooners lost consecutive games was well over a month ago on May 14-15. A win for North Carolina would complete the first national championship season in school history, while an Oklahoma triumph would send the trophy back to Norman for the first time since 1994.
Check back here throughout the CWS for scores and schedule updates as the brightest stars and most talented squads compete for the 2026 national championship.
2026 College World Series schedule
All times Eastern
Monday, June 22
CWS Finals, Game 3: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Oklahoma, 7 p.m. on ESPN
2026 College World Series results
Friday, June 12
Game 1: No. 16 West Virginia 7, Troy 5
Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina 6, Ole Miss 2
Saturday, June 13
Game 3: Oklahoma 9, No. 7 Alabama 0
Game 4: No. 3 Georgia 7, No. 6 Texas 1
Sunday, June 14
Game 5: Troy 12, Ole Miss 8
Game 6: No. 5 North Carolina 5, No. 16 West Virginia 2
Monday, June 15
Game 7: No. 6 Texas 14, No. 7 Alabama 2
Game 8: Oklahoma 4, No. 3 Georgia 3
Tuesday, June 16
Game 9: No. 16 West Virginia 12, Troy 0
Game 10: No. 3 Georgia 2, No. 6 Texas 0
Wednesday, June 17
Game 11: No. 5 North Carolina 12, No. 16 West Virginia 7
Game 12: Oklahoma 11, No. 3 Georgia 4
Saturday, June 20
CWS Finals, Game 1: Oklahoma 9, No. 5 North Carolina 3
Sunday, June 21
CWS Finals, Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina 6, Oklahoma 2
